


Down The Burning Ropes

by lille082



Series: Burn [2]
Category: James Bond (Craig movies), James Bond (Movies), Skyfall - Fandom
Genre: Angst, Freeform, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, POV First Person, Stream of Consciousness, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-21
Updated: 2017-07-21
Packaged: 2018-12-05 01:13:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11567238
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lille082/pseuds/lille082
Summary: I know you think it's time we said goodbye, but there's more for you here, my love.





	Down The Burning Ropes

I've felt it growing now for months, this silent darkness separating us. This massive chasm that neither of us want to cross. It's been lurking at the edges for so long, dancing through the shadows. Your fire, brightly burning, has kept it at bay for so long but as I watch you return from mission after mission bloodied, bruised, broken, but _alive_ , I see that flame start to flicker.

I'm sure you think I don't know, that no one does. But how could I not? All agents have something of a death wish to be willing to put themselves out in the field. But yours is deeper than a wish. It's a need, a longing in your bones that calls to you with each bullet, each knife blade, each explosion.

But you press on, a smile on your lips and a swagger in your step even though I can see you forcing it. How no one else can baffles me. Though…maybe they can after all. Bill’s attempts to recruit you as an instructor may be coming from a place of good intention yet I can see the effect they have on you.

You'd rather die than retire. You said that to me once long ago. In passing, a response to some comment I made about your age. Now those words haunt me. Keep me up at night.

You come to bed without a word, crawling under the covers to turn your back to me. I press a kiss between your shoulder blades, curl my fingers around your hip. Your name falls from my lips but you don't respond, you don't move. I roll away from you, trying to hold in the tears that come too easily these days, waiting until I hear your breathing even out before I allow myself to sob as silently as possible.

How can you lay so close yet feel so far away? How can you sleep so still while I lay awake, tears drying on my eyelashes?

I know what you're trying to do. I understand. The call of that siren song is too lovely to ignore and I know that she was your lover long before I was. But I can't let her take you now without a fight.

So I fight for you. The first time I see the flicker of hesitation, I bark out command after command until you comply. When you don't raise your weapon as fast as you should, I override the building’s sprinkler system, buying you some time and reminding you that I'm still here. Not just the voice in your ear, the body in your bed.

See me, James. Don't leave me.

**Author's Note:**

> Special love to [linorien](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Linorien/) for the awesome last-minute betaing!
> 
> Sorry friends, I was in a weird mood and this just...happened.
> 
> I'm on tumblr: lille082 . tumblr . com


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